AFC Leopards may be struggling on the pitch but they seem to be doing well when it comes to matchday revenue as they have collected more in four matches than in the whole of 2022.
AFC Leopards may have gotten a lot of things on and off the pitch wrong but they seem to be getting it right when it comes to gate collections.
Ingwe are going through a tumultuous time as they remain one of only two teams yet to win a match in the Football Kenya Federation Premier League this season, having drawn four while losing two of their opening six games, which leaves them second from bottom on the 18-team table.
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That poor run that has seen them score just three goals while conceding six, led to the sacking of club legend Tom Juma from his coaching role with former coach Tomas Trucha from the Czech Republic tipped to replace him.
However, while Ingwe are struggling on the pitch, their bank balance has soared thanks to an increase in gate collection which has already surpassed what the club collected in the whole of 2022.
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At the conclusion of last Saturday’s ‘Mashemeji derby,’ which they lost 2-0 to arch-rivals Gor Mahia, Ingwe have already realised over Ksh5 million from matchday revenue in their four home games which is Ksh1.6 million more than they netted in the whole of 2022.
As per the financial figures of 2022 released by the club during their Annual General Meeting in June, Ingwe managed Ksh3,466,905 in gate collection but have realised Ksh5,098,200 so far this season which puts them in a good position to hit the record of Ksh14,692,001 collected in 2012.
“It is because we started selling tickets three to four days before the match and it picks up on matchday. Availing the tickets much earlier has helped as opposed to selling tickets on match day which starts at 10 am and you have like five hours to sell tickets which does not generate much,” said Leopards executive branch secretary general Hosea Kisienya.
Leopards collected Ksh615,700 from their 0-0 league opener against FC Talanta on August 27, witnessed by 2,849 fans, before the amount dropped to Ksh217,900 from 1,028 supporters when Ingwe recorded another barren draw with Muhoroni Youth.
They would collect Ksh1,426,300 from their 1-1 draw with Shabana on October 1 when 6,152 fans turned up at Ulinzi Complex before a massive Ksh2,838,300 from the ‘Mashemeji derby’ which was witnessed by 12,172 fans last weekend.
“Flash sale has also proved to be a masterstroke as the hourly sales at reduced prices have seen fans scrambling for tickets,” added Kisienya, on the move that saw the club slash regular ticket prices from Ksh300 to Ksh200 for two hours on the eve of the ‘Mashemeji derby,’ attracting 9,885 fans.
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“We have branches buying tickets for their members and online mobilisation on social media has also helped.”
Another move attributed to the increased gate collection is Ingwe’s decision to go digital as opposed to selling physical tickets.
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“E-ticketing has given an opportunity to people who cannot attend matches but want to support the club to purchase tickets,” said Kisienya.
“Now, they do not have to come to the various selling outlets and can buy them from the comfort of their home which is very convenient. Also, we have dealt with the issue of counterfeits which was eating into the club’s revenue.”
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E-ticketing has, however, had its issues with some fans taking advantage of the confusion to force their way into the stadium, denying the club revenue.
“Verification of tickets is what slows things down. When there is an influx of fans and manpower is less, the fans get impatient at the entrance which leads to some people forcing their way in. Fans need to arrive much earlier so that we deal with this issue,” added Kisienya.
Leopards can therefore increase their revenues greatly if they seal the loopholes witnessed so far with E-ticketing while the club hierarchy will be hoping that Juma’s replacement starts posting positive results on the pitch which will also draw huge numbers to the stadiums going forward.